Undercliff Sanatorium

Administration  Buildings zczuekzeesh: r— UIN t)M p j — 1 _/~-^ H u^ "^^T"' riKniiNii  n(W)N •  VEJTW! EIAiL V^  ^1 -L c a' No.  31.— New  Haven  County  State  Tuberculosis  Sanatorium,  Meriden,  Conn.  Foote  &  Townsend, Architects.  Service  Building.  \'ie\v  of  Front  Ele\-.\tiox  .\nd  Floor  Plans.  Service Cap.\city,  122  Patients.  Estimated  Cost,  $15,000.  (See  illustration  93  for  further  description  of this  institution.) Story.  The  second  floor  is  arranged  for  servants  and  is  divided  on  the  front  into  a  sleeping loggia  28  feet  wide  by  8  feet  deep,  which  is  a  part  of  the  main  building  under  the  roof  pro- jection, an  opening  to  the  stairway,  and  two  bedrooms  12  feet  wide  by  9  feet  deep;  and on  the  rear  a  bath  1 1  feet  wide  by  8  feet  deep  and  two  bedrooms  g  feet  by  1 2  feet  deep. The  building  has  a  service  capacity  for  twenty  patients  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $6,000. 5  6s

Section  \  I j^ fy-^  r-M 1 PLAN  I 0¥1 joJ   IMHvi] jij±. M n§ n^ ixj iXj 'n ^'A J— PLAN  II No.  93.  -New  Haven  County  State  Sanatorium,  Meriden,  Conn.  I'otin;  &  Townskm),  Akciiitix  i>. Lka\-to.  Front  Elevation  and  Floor  Plan.  Capacity,  40  Patiknts.  Kstimatkd  Cost.  S5.000. Note:  Plan  II,  Dksioned  by  the  Same  Architects,  Shows  the  Arrangement  of  a  Btildinc.  at Huntington,  Conn. New  Haven  County  State  Sanatorium,  Meriden,  Conn.,  Li: ax-to  (Illustraiion 9,^).  'I'his  is  a  friimc  Ican-lo,  two  stories  hi<i;h,  covered  externally  and  roofed  with  shingles. Both  floors  are  arranged  alike  after  jjlan  I,  shown  in  the  illustration.  It  may  be  divided for  description  into  a  ci'ntral  block.  17  feet  wiiK'  hy  42  fi'ct  det'p,  and  two  wings  40  feet  wide by  16  feet  det-p.      In  the  central  section  is  a  silling  room  i()  fei'l  wide  by  :o  feet  deep  and  a

A  WINTER   HIKE  AT  UNDERCLIFF

SANATORIA  CONNECTICUT MERIDEN NEW  HAVEN  COUNTY  STATE  TUBERCULOSIS  SANATORIUM  (January  i, 1910): For  all  classes  of  cases,  both  medical  and  surgical.  Capacity: — 122.  Rates: — There are  no  charges  for  indigent  cases;  other  patients  from  $4.00  to  $10.00  per  week.  Superin- tendent:— Dr.  J.  B.  Dinnan.     Application  should  be  made  to  the  Superintendent. SHELTON FAIRFIELD  COUNTY  STATE  TUBERCULOSIS  SANATORIUM  (August  10, 1909): For  all  classes  of  cases,  both  medical  and  surgical.  Capacity: — 102.  Rates: — There are  no  charges  for  indigent  cases;  other  patients  from  $4.00  to  $10.00  per  week.  Superin- tendent:— Dr.  W.  M.  Stockwell.     Application  should  be  made  to  the  Superintendent. BRIDGEPORT LAKE  VIEW  TUBERCULOSIS  PAVILION  (May  18,  1907): For  all  classes  of  cases.  Capacity: — 30.  Rates: — There  are  no  charges.  Superin- tendent:— M.  C.  Cowles.  Application  should  be  made  to  J.  V.  Brennan,  Superintendent  of Poor.     Applicant  must  be  a  resident  of  Bridgeport. CROMWELL MIDDLESEX  TUBERCULOSIS  CAMP  (August  22,  1910): For  incipient  and  moderately  advanced  cases.  Capacity : — 14.  Rates : — $1.00  per  day. Matron: — Annie  E.  Roxborough.  Medical  Director: — Dr.  James  Murphy.  Applica- tion should  be  made  to  the  Medical  Director. FALLS  VILLAGE DR.  SHANNON'S  SANITARIUM  (November,  1906); For  incipient  and  moderately  advanced  cases.  Capacity: — 25.  Rates: — $25.00  to $35.00  per  week.  Superintendent: — Dr.  Thomas  I.  Shannon.  Application  should  be made  to  the  Superintendent. GREENWICH NATHANIEL  WITHERELL  MEMORIAL  TUBERCULOSIS  PAVILION  OF THE  GREENWICH  GENERAL  HOSPITAL  (not  yet  in  operation) : Late  in  1910,  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Witherell  donated  to  the  town  of  Greenwich  a  sum  of  money sufficient  to  erect  a  tuberculosis  pavilion  which  will  be  built  in  1911. HARTFORD FORESTERS  OF  AMERICA  TUBERCULOSIS  SANATORIUM  (not  yet  in operation) : The  Supreme  Court  of  the  Foresters  of  America  authorized  the  appointment  of  a  com- mittee at  its  annual  meeting  in  1910  to  examine  proposed  sites  for  a  National  Sanatorium for  Tuberculosis  and  Other  Diseases,  to  prociure  estimates  as  to  cost  of  building  and  main- tenance and  to  report  at  the  next  meeting,  in  August,  1911.  John  F.  Cosgrove,  36  Pearl Street,  Hartford,  Supreme  Chief  Ranger. THE  PREVENTORIUM  OF  THE  HARTFORD  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  PREVEN- TION OF  TUBERCULOSIS  (July,  1909): For  children  with  closed  tuberculosis.  Capacity: — 30.  Rates: — 5  cents  per  day  when able  to  pay  it.  Superintendent :— Dr.  Henry  F.  Stoll,  75  Pratt  Street.  Application  should be  made  to  the  Superintendent. 19

ASSOCIATIONS  CONNECTICUT,  DELAWARE MERroEN UNDERCLIFF  ASSOCIATION  (November  15,  1907): President: — Robert  A.  Ashworth.     Secretary: — Hugh  F.  Hagarty,  76  Liberty  Street. MIDDLETOWN MIDDLESEX  ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS  SOCIETY  (June  25,  1909): President: — Dr.  James  Murphy,  423  Main  Street.     Secretary: — Miss  Ethel  Bates,  22 Lawn  Avenue. NEW  BRITAIN TUBERCULOSIS  RELIEF  SOCIETY  OF  NEW  BRITAIN  (May,  1908): President: — Abraham  L.  Buol.     Secretary: — P.  F.  King,  426  Myrtle  Street. NEW  HAVEN NEW  HAVEN  COUNTY  ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS  ASSOCIATION  (October  17, 1902): President: — Dr.  Francis  Bacon.    Recording  Secretary: — Prof.  Irving  Fisher,  450 Prospect  Street. NORWALK NORWALK  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  FAIRFIELD  COUNTY  ANTI-TUBERCU- LOSIS ASSOCIATION  (February,  1909): President: — Mrs.  John  S.  Seymour.     Secretary: — Mrs.  William  J.  Tracey. SOUTH  MANCHESTER TUBERCULOSIS  FREE  BED  FUND  ASSOCIATION  OF  CHENEY  BROTHERS (March  6,  1908): President: — William   R.   Foley,  Jr.     Secretary: — Miss   Margaret   Hyde,  145  Main Street.     Note : — A  relief  association  for  the  4000  employees  of  Cheney  Brothers. STAMFORD TUBERCULOSIS  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  ASSOCIATED  CHARITIES  OF STAMFORD  (February  9,  1910): Executive  Office: — 167  Greyrock  Place.  Chairman: — Dr.  J.  J.  Cloonan.  General Secretary: — Miss  Agnes  M.  Robertson. WATERBURY WATERBURY  ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS  LEAGUE  (January,  1908): Executive  Office: — City  Hall  Annex,  Room  6.     President: — Arthur  R,  Kimball. Secretary: — Dr.  Thomas  J.  Kilmartin.    Publicity  Secretary: — Howard  L.  Udell. DELAWARE STATE  ASSOCIATION DELAWARE  ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS  SOCIETY  (June  17,  1906): Executive  Office: — i  West  5th  Street,  Wilmington.     President: — Miss  Emily  P. Bissell,   1404  Franklin  Street,  Wilmington.     Secretary:— Miss  Edith  S.  Danforth,   1401 Delaware  Avenue,  Wilmington. 146

THE     STATE     TUBERCULOSIS    COMMISSION.  11 A  REVOLUTIONARY  DOCTRINE. Until  the  last  few  years,  it  was  generally  accepted that  human  tuberculosis  was  simply  a  contagious  disease and  that,  when  an  adult  developed  symptoms  of  tubercu- losis, he  did  so  because  he  had  recently  been  infected by  inhaling  the  germs  of  tuberculosis  fresh  from  the breath  or  sputum  of  somebody  else  who  had  tuberculosis. During  the  last  few  years,  this  theory  has  received  some severe  blows,  and  now  it  is  a  question,  and  a  very  impor- tant question — how^  much  longer  it  can  stand.  The  first blow  w^as  struck  by  Calmette  of  France  and  his  followers, who  claimed  that  they  had  proved  that  pulmonary  tuber- culosis could  not  be  caused  by  the  inhaling  of  the  germs  of the  disease,  but  that  pulmonary  tuberculosis  could  be caused  and  always  was  caused  by  the  taking  of  the germs  of  the  disease  into  the  stomach  and  bowels, whence  they  were  carried  by  the  blood  to  the  lungs.  The second  blow,  or  rather  the  second  series  of  blows,  was struck  by  a  host  of  authorities  in  various  countries,  nota- bly by  Von  Behring  in  Germany,  Fishberrg  in  America, and  H.  Battey  Shaw  of  England.  According  to  these  au- thorities and  their  followers,  practically  all  civilized  hu- man beings  are  infected  with  tuberculosis  during  child- hood, and  practically  all  tuberculosis  in  adult  human  be- ings is  the  result,  not  of  recent  infection,  but  is  the  belat- ed developments  of  the  infection  of  childhood.  This  rev- olutionary theory  is  far  from  being  generally  accepted, but  its  mere  discussion  has  had  the  effect  of  forcing  us  all to  realize  the  importance  of  making  more  serious  efforts to  control  the  tuberculosis  of  children. MERIDEN  SANATORIUM  FOR  CHILDREN  ONLY. In  order  to  keep  Connecticut  in  the  lead  in  this  new movement  for  the  saving  of  children,  we  have  decided  to transform  the  State  Sanatorium  at  Meriden  into  a  sana- torium for  children  only.  In  the  beginning  of  the  sana- torium era,  Connecticut,  like  all  other  communities  re- ceived tuberculous  adults  and  children  without  discrim- ination in  all  her  sanatoria.  As  the  number  of  children increased,  and  it  became  necessary  to  consider  the  estab- lishment of  schools  in  the  sanatoria,  it  was  decided  to send  the  girls  of  school  age  to  Meriden,  and  the  boys  of school  age  and  all  the  infants  to  Hartford.  According  to our  new  plans,  the  plans  adopted  this  year,  all  the  chil- dren suffering  with  pulmonary  tuberculosis  will  be  sent  to

12  STATE    OF    CONNECTICUT. Meriden,  and  all  children  suffering  with  bone  and  gland- ular tuberculosis  will  be  sent  to  The  Seaside  at  Niantic. The  new  arrangement  has  met  with  the  enthusiastic approval  of  all  the  organizations  and  officials  of  the  state with  whom  we  have  had  an  opportunity  to  discuss  the matter.  The  only  dissatisfied  ones,  that  we  know,  are the  physcians  and  nurses  at  the  Hartford  sanatorium. They  were  sorry  to  see  the  children  go, — even  to  Meri- den. The  new  arrangement  has  made  it  necessary  to plan  at  Meriden  a  building  somewhat  different  from  the one  we  had  in  mind  when  we  asked  the  last  General  As- sembly for  our  appropriation.  We  have  taken  this  matter up  with  the  Board  of  Control  and  received  its  assent  to  our change  of  plan. GENERAL  HOSPITALS  SHOULD  HELP. In  our  report  for  the  years  1913  and  1914  we  first  called the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly  to  the  absurd and  dangerous  state  of  panic  into  which  the  appearance of  a  tuberculosis  patient  threw  most  of  the  directors  and phj^sicians  of  general  hospitals.  In  that  report,  and  in subsequent  reports,  we  advocated  as  strongly  as  we  knew how,  that,  for  the  sake  of  the  patient,  for  the  sake  of  the patient's  friends,  for  the  sake  of  the  community,  and  for the  sake  of  the  coming  generation  of  doctors,  the  general hospitals  of  the  state  M'ho  received  a  bonus  from  the State  Treasury,  should  be  compelled  to  provide  a  small ward  or  building  in  which  the  emergency  and  dying  cases of  pulmnary  tuberculosis  could  be  cared  for. Our  views  on  this  matter  were  received  with  approval by  most  of  the  best  tuberculosis  authorities  of  the  country, and  by  certain  of  the  teachers  of  the  great  medical  schools of  the  country,  who  were  becoming  alarmed  at  the  fact that  so  many  thousands  of  young  doctors  who,  in  late years  had  been  empowered  to  practise  medicine, were deplorably  ignorant  of  that  most  important  of  human  dis- ease, tuberculosis  of  the  lungs. But  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  two  yiears  after  the  appear- ance of  our  first  oflHcial  protest  agains  the  phthisiphobiac attitude  of  the  general  hospitals,  the  National  Tubercu- losis Association  passed  a  resolution  calling  on  all  the  gen- eral hospitals  of  the  country  to  provide  suitable  accommo- dations for  emergency  and  late  cases  of  tuberculosis; here- tofore, very  little  progress  has  been  made  toward  a  con- summation of  this  greatly  needed  reform.    The  managers

THE     STATE     TUBERCULOSIS    COMMISSION.  19 bv  moderately  sick  women  and  girls.  For  administrative reasons  and  medical  reasons,  it  is  greatly  to  be  desired that  the  "almost  well"  cases  and  "hardly  sick"  cases should  live  in  a  building  separate  from  "the  bed  cases." THE  MERIDEN  SANATORIUM. It  is  difficult  to  speak  of  Meriden  Sanatorium  without speaking  of  the  big  genial  Dr.  Dinnan,  who  was  its  Super- intendent from  its  opening,  and  who,  as  we  have  related above,  died  last  October.  His  successor  is  Dr.  Cole  B.  Gib- son for  two  years  Dr.  Dinnan's  assistant,  a  young  physi- cian whose  executive  capacity  was  not  only  clear  to  us but  was  utilized  and  highly  approved  by  the  arm.y  author- ities during  the  war.  Our  expectations  as  to  the  future of  the  Meriden  Sanatorium,  in  its  new  role  of  a  sanator- ium for  children  only,  are  very  high.  It  would  be  hard  to find  in  the  stale  a  location  for  such  an  institution  more sightly  or  more  convenient  than  the  wooded  face  of  the Meriden  mountain  where  the  white  buildings  of  the Meriden  State  Tuberculosis  Sanatorium  for  Children  now nestle  among  the  trees. At  all  the  sanatoria  the  superintendents  again  make  re- 3[uests  for  an  appropriation  for  "recreation  halls."  And undoubtedly  proper  recreation  hall  buildings  would  add to  the  attractiveness  of  all  the  sanatoria.  We  have  hesi- tated about  endorsing  these  requests  because  of  the  ex- pense involved  and  because  these  buildings  have  not  been an  essential.  At  the  Shelton  Sanatorium  we  have  provid- ed a  recreation  hall  by  making  over  for  that  purpose,  the whole  first  floor  of  what  was  formerly  used  as  a  nurses' home ;  the  upper  floor  is  now  being  used  for  the  housing of  male  help.  In  the  other  institutions  there  are  no  places of  assem.bly  except  the  large  dining  rooms  and  the  little central  rooms  in  the  various  shacks.  The  arguments  in favor  of  establishing  these  recreation  halls  at  the  Hart- ford,Norwich  and  Meriden  sanatoria  are  a  little  stronger this  year  than  heretofore  because  of  the  increased  oppor- tunities nowadays  for  entertainment.  Thanks  to  the  gen- erosity of  the  National  officers  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- bus and  other  friends  of  the  sanatoria,  three  of  the  insti- tutions are  now  equipped  with  fine  moving  picture  ma- chines, and  in  the  fourth, Hartford,  the  proprietors  of  the local  theatres  bring  their  own  machines  and  films  to  de- light the  patients.  Of  course,  it  would  be  safer,  more  san- itary, and  less  disturbing  to  the  machinery  of  the  sana-

20  STATE    OF    CONNECTICUT. toria  to  have  these  and  similar  entertainments  given  in  a proper  assembly  hall  than  in  the  general  dining  room. The  Meriden  Sanatorium  has  a  special  claim  to  make  in the  matter  of  the  need  of  a  recreation  building.  As  Mer- iden, in  the  future,  will  have  only  children  patients, it  will be  necessary  to  have  some  proper  place  apart  from  the dormitory  buildings  where  such  children  as  are  able  may go  to  school.  A  new  assembly  hall  of  some  kind  would fill  all  the  school  needs  of  the  institution.  If  the  General Assembly  sees  fit  to  authorize  us  to  carry  out  this  program of  recreation  halls,  we  will  need  $12,500  for  Meriden  and $10,000  each  for  Hartford  and  Norwich.  Other  of  the Meriden  Sanatorium  needs  are  $1,500  for  outfitting  a playground,  and  $10,000  for  the  equipment  of  the  new children's  building  already  authorized. THE  NORWICH  SANATORIUM. The  Sanatorium  at  Norwich,  the  newest  in  construc- tion and  by  some  of  the  out-of-the-state  experts  consider- ed to  be  the  most  modern  and  most  attractive  tuberculosis sanatorium  in  this  part  of  the  world,  still  retains  its  hold on  popular  favor.  As  Dr.  Hugh  B.  Campbell  is  its  super- intendent and  has  been  its  superintendent  from  the  begin- ing,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  to  him  much  of  the  success  of the  institution  is  due.  In  spite  of  the  fact,  already  men- tioned, that  his  services  as  a  tuberculosis  specialist  are  in great  demand  by  the  hospitals  and  clinics  and  private physicians  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  he  continues  to have  intimate  control  of  every  patient  in  the  sanatorium. The  special  construction  demands  of  the  Norwich  San- atorium for  the  next  two  years  are  not  many ;  $2,500  for enlarging  the  old  farm  house  in  order  to  better  accommo- date the  help  and  make  it  possible  to  employ  as  an  assist- ant, a  married  physcian  ;  $4,000  for  an  enlargement  of  the kitchen  with  a  bake  room.  The  question  of  recreation hall  and  heliotheraphy  platform  we  have  already  dis- cussed. THE  SHELTON  SANATORIUM. The  Shelton  Sanatorium,  on  one  of  the  hills  overlooking the  Housatonic  valley,  has,  perhaps,  the  most  command- ing location  of  any  of  the  sanatoria  and  because  of  its proximity  to  several  large  and  growing  cities,  it  is  prob- ably destined  to  become  the  largest  institution  of  its kind  in  the  state.       Dr.  Edward  J.  Lynch  continues  to  be

14  NARRATIVE will  present  to  your  honorable  body  in  requests  for  special appropriations  for  Shelton,  Meriden,  and  Norwich. OUR  SANATORIA  SCHOOLS At  both  of  our  sanatoria  for  children  we  conduct schools.  We  employ  five  competent  graduated  and  cer- tificated teachers,  four  at  Undercliff  and  one  at  The  Sea- side. Not  every  good  teacher  of  the  ordinary  school  is capable  of  doing  good  work  with  children  sick  or  crippled with  tuberculosis.  It  is,  therefore,  a  matter  of  great satisfaction  to  us  that  we  are  able  to  report  that  the  re- sults obtained  by  our  staff  of  teachers  have  received  the approval  of  inspectors  of  the  State  Department  of Education,  and  of  other  competent  pedagogic  critics. Several  of  our  pupils  have  successfully  taken  the  High School  examinations  of  various  cities.  Very  interesting reports  have  come  to  us  from  teachers  of  public  schools, of  the  good  impressions  our  cured  and  bronzed  and  happy children  have  made  on  the  minds  and  morale  of  the  rest of  the  pupils. WHY  SANATORIA? ''Many  tuberculosis  patients  die  in  sanatoria.  They could  do  no  worse  at  home.  Many  tuberculosis  patients recover,  at  home.  They  could  do  no  better  in  sanatoria. Why  then  sanatoria?" In  some  such  words,  skeptical  citizens  occasionally  ex- press their  views  of  the  great  work  that  Connecticut,  for the  past  dozen  years,  has  been  conducting  at  her  state tuberculosis  sanatoria. Why  Sanatoria?  Because  without  sanatoria,  a  thous- and sick  citizens  of  Connecticut  who  are  now,  bravely and  hopefully  fighting  for  their  lives  under  conditions most  favorable  for  success,  would  be  forced  to  make  their fight  under  conditions  that  the  experience  of  civilization has  shown  to  be  least  favorable  for  success.  Yes,  tubercu- lous patients  die  at  sanatoria  and  yes,  tuberculous  pa- tients will  continue  to  die  at  sanatoria  until  somebody discovers  a  specific  that  will  cure  tuberculosis,  as  quinine cures  malaria,  or  as  morphine  cures  pain.  But  yes,  also, tuberculous  patients  are  cured  at  sanatoria  and  they  are cured  in  numbers  proportionately  larger  than  in  the  prac- tice of  any  private  physician.  Of  the  patients  who  come to  Connecticut's  tuberculosis  sanatoria,  the  very  sick, whether  rich  or  poor,  are  benefited  by  the  opportunity

8  Narrative Undercliff Undercliff,  the  sanatorium  at  Meriden  intended  for children  afflicted  with  pulmonary  tuberculosis  is  the  second in  size  of  the  State's  sanatoria.  It  contains  220  beds.  The importance  of  discovering  and  treating  the  tuberculosis  of children  becomes  more  and  more  important  every  year. Also  every  year,  the  difficulty  of  making  early  diagnosis of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  in  children  becomes  more  and more  apparent  to  the  most  skillful  of  experts.  The  micro- scope may  give  only  negative  evidence;  the  X-ray  pictures may  show  nothing,  or  they  may  show  shadows  that  conflict with  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  listening  ear  of  the  exam- iner; the  general  physical  condition  of  the  little  suspect may  belie  some  or  all  of  the  indictment  afforded  by  the X-rays,  or  by  the  child's  history  or  environment.  Never- theless, it  is  essential  that  if  the  child  has  tuberculosis,  it should  be  treated,  and  if  it  does  not  have  tuberculosis,  it should  not  be  kept  in  a  tuberculosis  sanatorium.  We  are fortunate  in  having  on  the  staff  of  the  sanatorium  at Meriden,  physicians  who  thoroughly  appreciate  the  diag- nostic and  other  problems  that  every  patient  in  the institution  brings  to  them,  and  who  are  keen  and  diligent in  the  study  of  these  problems. In  the  days  of  the  stage-coach,  the  present  infirmary building  at  Undercliff  was  a  well  known  road  house.  When the  railroads  ended  the  stage-coach  era,  the  old  building became  the  almshouse  of  Meriden.  After  Meriden  grew ashamed  and  built  its  present  brick  building  to  house  the town  paupers,  the  State  took  over  the  shambling  old hostelry  in  order  to  begin  with  it,  the  projected  campaign against  tuberculosis.  For  several  years,  under  the  super- intendency  of  the  late  Dr.  James  B.  Dinnan  it  served  the purpose  for  which  it  was  bought.  Its  verandas  and  its little  indoor  cubicles,  at  one  time  housed  nearly  100  tuber- culous adults.  Since  1918,  when  Undercliff  was  transformed into  an  institution  for  children  only,  this  old  infirmary building  has  been  constantly  in  use.  On  its  three  creaking floors  have  been  the  beds  of  fifty  of  the  sicker  children, the  administration  offices,  the  quarters  of  the  family  of  one of  the  assistant  physicians,  and  the  rooms  of  a  dozen  or more  of  the  male  servants.  To  make  possible  this  long- continued  use  of  the  old  fire-trap,  we  have  been  obhged  to brace  its  foundation,  to  bolster  its  walls,  to  relay  its  floors, and  of  course,  to  frequently  repaint,  replaster,  and  reroof it.  Its  age  and  its  skeletal  crumbling  have  been  pretty  well camouflaged,  but  now  we  have  decided  that  it  ought  to  be

Narrative  '.) retired  from  further  hospital  duty  and  that  we  must  ask  the General  Assembly  to  let  us  replace  it  with  a  modern  fire- proof building  of  brick  or  stone.  The  justice  and  timeliness of  our  decision  will  be  apparent  to  the  members  of  the General  Assembly  when  they  visit  Undercliff  this  winter, and  see  for  themselves  the  terrible  fire  hazard  to  which  the children  in  the  present  infirmary  building  are  now  exposed. Cedarcrest Cedarcrest,  the  third  in  point  of  size  of  the  State  Tuber- culosis Sanatoria,  is  situated  in  the  town  of  Newington, but  only  a  mile  from  the  Hartford  city  line.  It  has  accom- modations for  192  patients  and  usually  a  waiting  list  for the  men's  infirmary.  The  General  Assembly  at  its  last session  appropriated  thirty-nine  thousand  dollars  for  the installing  of  a  central  heating  plant  at  Cedarcrest.  The carrying  out  of  this  great  improvement  as  projected,  gave us  an  opportunity  to  devise  an  attractive  rearrangement  of the  roads,  and  to  eliminate  many  of  the  unsightly  poles and  wires  that  hitherto  had  crossed  and  recrossed  the grounds.  By  agreement  with  the  electric  light  and  tele- graph companies  we  have,  wherever  possible,  buried  these wires  in  the  brick  conduits  for  carrying  the  steam  from the  central  heating  plant  to  the  various  buildings  of  the institution.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  all  the  buildings  at Cedarcrest  are  of  rather  cheap  wooden  construction,  and of  a  type  that  we  have  not  used  in  recent  years,  the splendid  site  of  the  institution  lends  itself  readily  to  every beautifying  effort,  and  we  hope  soon  to  see  Cedarcrest vying  in  attractiveness  with  the  best  of  the  State's  sana- toria. As  a  means  to  this  end,  and  also  to  improve  the accommodations  for  the  very  sick  patients  as  this  institu- tion, and  to  abolish  the  waiting  list,  and  to  better  the morale  of  the  place,  we  propose  to  present  a  request  for an  appropriation  for  a  new  fireproof  structure  at  Cedarcrest, that  will  be  a  combination  infirmary  and  administration building. During  the  past  two  years,  we  have  moved  the  old summer  cottage  from  the  recently  purchased  Balf  farm  to the  original  sanatorium  grounds,  and  made  it  over  into  a commodious  and  comfortable  residence  for  one  of  the  resi- dent physicians. The  central  laundry  located  on  the  grounds  at  Cedar- crest, continues  to  function  satisfactorily.  It  has  been found  necessary,  however,  to  replace  some  of  the  wornout machinery.    Hitherto  we  have  kept  the  horses  of  the  insti-